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Too good to be true? United Nations peacebuilding and the democratization of war-torn states

Author

Listed:
  • Janina Isabel Steinert

    (University of Konstanz, Germany)

  • Sonja Grimm

    (University of Konstanz, Germany)

Abstract

This article examines the effectiveness of UN peacebuilding missions in democratizing war-torn states, emphasizing those missions that include democracy promotion components in their mandates. Based on a multinominal logistic regression, we reveal that democratization is significantly more likely if a UN peacebuilding mission is deployed. Furthermore, regimes categorized as more liberal at the outset have an increased risk of revealing antidemocratization trends over the post-war period. Oil wealth impedes democratization and clear victory of one conflict party makes regime transitions more likely, yet in both directions. Descriptive statistics suggest that an increase in the mission’s capacities may be conducive to democratization.

Suggested Citation

  • Janina Isabel Steinert & Sonja Grimm, 2015. "Too good to be true? United Nations peacebuilding and the democratization of war-torn states," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 32(5), pages 513-535, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:compsc:v:32:y:2015:i:5:p:513-535
    DOI: 10.1177/0738894214559671
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    6. Hannah Smidt, 2020. "Mitigating election violence locally: UN peacekeepers’ election-education campaigns in Côte d’Ivoire," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(1), pages 199-216, January.

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